It is obvious that cosmetic and medical effects are obtained by transdermally or transmucosally absorbed carbon dioxide, which improves blood circulation of skin, subcutaneous tissue, and muscle, and activates their metabolism. This is widely recognized by the fact that carbon dioxide springs are used to obtain these effects all over the world until now, or by various researches. For example, Hiyoshi et al. have reported that an artificial carbon dioxide spring is effective for an intractable decubitus ulcer (Toshinori Hiyoshi; Effects of Artificial CO2 Bathing in Pressure Sore. Sogo Rehabilitation 17(8): 605-609, 1989).
In order to obtain cosmetic and medical effects easily by external use of carbon dioxide, an external carbon dioxide agent that contains carbon dioxide, or an external carbon dioxide agent in which carbon dioxide is generated at use, have been proposed. An external carbon dioxide agent that contains carbon dioxide has disadvantages of un-establishment of manufacturing technique, and of high cost of their storing containers with no loss or a small loss of carbon dioxide. On the other hand, an external carbon dioxide agent in which carbon dioxide is generated at use is more practical because it does not have such disadvantages. As one of compositions for preparing such an external carbon dioxide agent, for example, a kit preparing for transdermal or transmucosal carbon dioxide absorbing composition is proposed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-319187. The said publication shows that the transdermal or transmucousal absorption of carbon dioxide is effective for itching accompanying mucocutaneous diseases or mucocutaneous disorders such as athlete's foot, insect bite, atopic dermatitis, nummular eczema, xeroderma, seborrheic eczema, urticaria, prurigo, housewives' eczema, acne vulgaris, impetigo, folliculitis, carbuncle, furunculosis, phlegmon, pyoderma, psoriasis, ichthyosis, palmoplantar keratoderma, lichen, pityriasis, wound, burn, rhagades, erosion and chilblain; mucocutaneous injuries such as decubitus ulcer, wound, burn, angular stomatitis, stomatitis, skin ulcer, rhagades, erosion, chilblain and gangrene; incomplete takes of skin graft, skin flap, etc.; dental diseases such as gingivitis, alveolar pyorrhea, denture ulcer, nigricans gingiva, stomatitis; skin ulcer, cryesthesia and numbness caused by peripheral circulatory disorders such as thromboangitis obliterans, arteriolosclerosis obliterans, diabetic peripheral circulatory disorder and varicosis in lower extremity; musculoskeletal diseases such as chronic rheumatoid arthritis, cervico-omo-brachial syndrome, myalgia, arthralgia and lumbago; nervous system diseases such as neuralgia, polyarthritis and subcute myelo-optic neuropathy; keratoses such as psoriasis, corn, callosity, ichthyosis, palmoplantar keratoderma, lichen and pityriasis; suppurative dermopathies such as acne vulgaris, impetigo, folliculitis, carbuncle, furunculosis, phlegmon, pyoderma and suppurative eczema; constipation caused by loss of reflection of defecation; suppression of hair re-growth after depilation (treatment of unwanted hair); cosmetic troubles in the skin or hair such as freckles, rough skin, faded skin complexion, loss of skin tension and skin glossiness, and loss of hair glossiness, and local obesities.
The said kit is composed of a combination of a basic material containing water, a thickener and a carbonate and a carbon-dioxide-generating adjuvant containing an acid, or of a combination of an acidic material containing water, a thickener and an acid and a carbon-dioxide-generating adjuvant containing a carbonate. The said kit can prepare an external carbon dioxide agent by mixing each material with its matching carbon-dioxide-generating adjuvant at use. In order to mix each formulation of acid and carbonate and to generate carbon dioxide easily and reliably, viscosity of an acidic or a basic material cannot be high. Accordingly, if an external carbon dioxide agent is prepared from this kit, its viscosity is insufficient and the said agent droops when applied to a vertical part. This drooping has the disadvantage of providing carbon dioxide insufficiently or not at all to the applied part, and to make clothes etc. dirty. Further, since the thickness of the said agent becomes too thin due to its own weight when applied to a horizontal part, there is another disadvantage that enough cosmetic and medical effects are not obtained because the amount of provided carbon dioxide to the applied part is insufficient. If the viscosity of an acidic or a basic material is high to make the said agent has sufficient viscosity, it has further disadvantage that it is hard to mix and dissolve an acidic or a basic material with the corresponding carbon-dioxide-generating adjuvant. Furthermore, even if they are mixed forcibly, carbon dioxide is not sufficiently generated because the carbon-dioxide-generating adjuvant is not sufficiently dissolved. Even if carbon dioxide is generated, an external carbon dioxide agent containing sufficient carbon dioxide cannot be obtained because it takes a long period of time to mix and dissolve carbon-dioxide-generating adjuvant and the generated carbon dioxide diffuses into the air.
Therefore, the said kit cannot avoid using an acidic or a basic material with relatively low viscosity. Accordingly, an external carbon dioxide agent prepared from the said kit is not convenient to use because it droops or is unable to keep necessary thickness when applied onto skin or mucosa. The said agent has to be applied often to obtain desired effect because it cannot supply enough carbon dioxide onto skin or mucosa. For example, the said agent has to be applied everyday for between two weeks and two months to obtain facial slimming effect.
Generally, a thickener in solid stateaggregates when it is directly mixed with water because it slowly swells when contacting with water or slowly dissolves in water. The said aggregate tends to form so-called “DAMA” or “MAMAKO” (dollop) in which solid is contained without water and the outside is covered with dissolved or swelled viscous substance. It takes a long period of time to prepare a viscous material with desired viscosity because water hardly penetrates into the said “DAMA” or “MAMAKO” (dollop) which is covered with the said viscous substance. Although some formulations, which can accelerate dispersion and dissolution of thickeners, are already known, none of such formulation has been known yet about a composition for preparing an external carbon dioxide agent, which can produce an external carbon dioxide agent with high viscosity in a short period of time.
The object of this invention is to provide a composition for preparing an external carbon dioxide agent which can be prepared easily in a short period of time with more potent cosmetic and medical effects in a shorter period of time without making clothes, etc. dirty.